In support of natural resource agencies in Canada, the USA, and Mexico, we report on a series of component analyses and an updated Landscape Conservation Design for temperate grassland conservation. We targeted twelve major grassland ecosystem types that occur across the Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert regions. Component analyses included: a) documenting long-term trends in extent by grassland type, b) identifying species of concern associated with the major grassland types, c) documenting current protected areas including each grassland type, d) assessing landscape intactness and connectivity among grassland areas, and, e) identifying Grassland Potential Conservation Areas to advance grassland conservation. PublicationJournal ArticleNatural Areas Journal
Ecological integrity assessment (EIA) provides valuable information for documenting wetland conditions, and ecologically-based monitoring. The goal is to provide a succinct assessment of the composition, structure, processes, and connectivity of a wetland occurrence.PublicationBookUser Guide for Wetland Assessment and Monitoring in Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
Results will assist park staff with objectives including prioritized management actions, Resource Stewardship Strategies and other management plans, support to interpretation of park resources and issues, and engagement in landscape-scaled partnership efforts.PublicationScientific ReportGreat Basin National Park: Natural Resource Condition Assessment
Invasive annual grasses are a severe risk to native vegetation of the intermountain West. We developed a regional spatial model encompassing eight ecoregions to indicate the relative abundance of invasive annual grass at five levels of canopy cover. PublicationJournal ArticleRangeland Ecology & Management
We applied a framework to assess climate change vulnerability of 52 major vegetation types in the Western United States to provide a spatially explicit input to adaptive management decisions. The framework addressed climate exposure and ecosystem resilience; the latter derived from analyses of ecosystem sensitivity and adaptive capacity.PublicationJournal ArticleHabitat Climate Change Vulnerability Index Applied to Major Vegetation Types of the Western Interior United States
The HCCVI provides a practical framework for gauging vulnerability of ecosystem or habitat types and clarifying measurable adaptation strategies.ProductTools
Ecological Integrity Assessments provide a standard “biophysical exam” that tell us how well an ecosystem is doing, including providing for species habitat needs. ProductStandards & Methods
There never has been a greater need to systematically inventory, classify, and map the incredible diversity of ecosystems on Earth. ProductStandards & Methods
Field data collected by NatureServe and member programs are a leading source of information about the locations of rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems.ProductExpert Services
In support of natural resource agencies in Canada, the USA, and Mexico, we report on a series of component analyses and an updated continental-scaled Landscape Conservation Design for temperate grassland conservation. We targeted twelve major grassland ecosystem types that occur across the Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert regions. Component analyses included: a) documenting long-term trends in extent by grassland type, b) identifying species of concern associated with the major grassland types, c) documenting current protected areas including each grassland type, d) assessing landscape intactness and connectivity among grassland areas, and, e) identifying Grassland Potential Conservation Areas to advance grassland conservation. Project
